$250,000 bail stays for suspect in Bedford home invasion

Charles Normil, 32, of Lawrence, Mass. appears in Essex County Superior Court in Salem, Mass. for arraignment. He is also wanted for a violent Bedford, N.H. home invasion where Dr. Eduardo W. Quesada and his wife, Sonia, were attacked. (JAMES A. KIMBLE/Union Leader Correspondent)

SALEM, Mass. - Prosecutors say they will work with New Hampshire authorities to expedite the case against a man who will be charged with the attempted murder of a Bedford, N.H., anesthesiologist and his wife.

An Essex County Superior Court judge agreed Tuesday to keep bail for Charles Normil, 32, of Lawrence, Mass., at $250,000 cash. Normil is wanted for the Nov. 24 break-in at the Bedford, N.H., home of Dr. Eduardo W. Quesada.

Normil allegedly stabbed Dr. Quesada, 52, several times in the head with a screwdriver and attacked and sexually assaulted Sonia Quesada. The attack caused her to lose sight in her left eye.

Tuesday's arraignment was for charges Normil faces in Methuen, Mass., where he allegedly broke into an apartment building on Dec. 14. Normil pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and larceny of property worth over $250. He was indicted on Feb. 21 in Essex County.

Few details have been made public about the New Hampshire home invasion, including the identity of a second suspect in federal custody.

On Jan. 7, police were called to a condominium belonging to Dr. Quesada's mother, where they found Sonia Quesada dead and a pile of prescription pills nearby. Dr. Quesada was also found unconscious at the home.

Police say that Sonia Quesada's death was not a homicide, and unrelated to the home invasion.

The motive behind the Quesada break-in appears to be for financial gain, according to prosecutors.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Camelio asked Judge John Lu on Tuesday for an April 2014 trial date for Normil so that his office could coordinate with New Hampshire prosecutors on their pending case.

"We are going to cooperate with them to make sure these cases move as quickly as possible," Camelio said during the hearing.

Normil is facing a fugitive from justice charge in the New Hampshire case until he can be returned to a courtroom in the Granite State to be formally arraigned on charges related to the break-in.

The Hillsborough County Attorney's Office expects to charge Normil with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and single counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, falsifying physical evidence and burglary.